#EmbraceEquity

Annie McNamee

First Year Film and English

It just feels a bit unfair.' These are the words of a second year student discussing the amount of teaching time that has been lost due to the impact of Coronavirus and strike action.

Whilst supporting lecturers’ reasons for undertaking industrial action, she couldn’t help feeling upset at the signi cant impact that strikes have had on students’ studies.

Four years ago, a global pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis would have sounded like a bad dream. Now, the concept of a normal academic year of uninterrupted education would seem much more far-fetched for many students.

With 18 days of industrial action planned across February and March, university lecturers are joining almost 500,000 workers across Britain in demanding fairer pay and improved working conditions. Lecturers are concerned about the lowering of employer pension contributions — the average lecturer is forecasted to lose 35 per cent of their retirement income — and the prevalence of workforce casualisation, a process by pay and conditions. Others, however, are nancially unable to forgo 18 days worth of pay to protest alongside their colleagues. This is ironic, given the fact that pay increases are one of the central demands of the strikes, as lecturers have seen their salaries fall by an average of 11 per cent from 2010 to 2022.

Every academic who spoke to Epigram, including those who were joining the industrial action, said it was a di cult decision to make, given the detrimental effect that 18 days of strike action will have on students’ learning.

A French tutor, who wished to remain anonymous, told 15 that they couldn’t personally justify striking, given the signi cant disruption that industrial action has on students’ studies. However, out of respect for their striking colleagues, they said they would not cross a picket line.

Another explained that, despite coming from a country in which strikes are politically and socially important, they felt that it simply wasn’t fair to their students to take away so much learning time, which may be di cult to compensate for. Both were still supportive of the strikers’ causes.

Another lecturer told Epigram she was striking for a few days, rather than the entire 18, as she couldn’t a ord to take the time o .

Taking that much money out of her wages would leave her struggling to support her family. When asked if she knew of anyone else who felt similarly, she explained that those who weren’t taking part were often not advertising it: ‘You feel like you’re letting the side down, or that people will get angry with you. No one wants that.' would threaten students’ chances of graduation. The UCU’s higher education committee met in January to decide on a marking and assessment boycott (MAB) from April, strategically targeted to hit summer graduations, unless disputes are settled. They had previously cancelled an MAB planned for January.

He apologised with a laugh for this policy: ‘I’m sure the students would be just as upset with that.'

He expressed his sympathy for students, ‘especially this cohort’, who have had a singularly challenging, and much diminished, university experience due to the impact of the pandemic.

His frustration clearly stemmed from a love for his profession. He discussed how he used to participate in votes regarding teaching and curriculums, an involvement he has now renounced. He spoke about his career with a great deal of pride, and seemed hurt at how he felt his position had become increasingly undervalued throughout: ‘When I joined [teaching] it was a community. Now, it’s a corporation.' Speaking anonymously to Epigram, a second year Law student highlighted that both her learning and ability to make new friends has been detrimentally impacted. Due to strike action, she will see her classmates in any given module a total of four times this term.

What's on in Bristol this International Women's Day?

Lauren Sanderson and Lily Farrant Features Editor and Deputy Editor

The theme of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023 is #EmbraceEquity, focusing on how di erent parts of society require di erent opportunities and forms of support in the continued ght for gender equality. This year’s conversation revolves around the di erence between equality and equity, pushing the message that equal opportunities are no longer enough, and can even be exclusionary. While equality means equal access to resources, equity recognises the complex intersectional nature of gender. What might greatly bene t one group may not have the same e ect for another, and equity allocates the resources needed to achieve an equal outcome.

The conversation about equity hopes to encourage an active consideration of diversity in the creation and tailoring of gender-focused policies, collective activism, as well as our everyday lives. A variety of events are being held across Bristol to mark the day, celebrating womanhood while drawing awareness to the struggles and barriers that remain in place for women across the globe.

The Fitzhardinge Consort, the South West’s leading choir, are hosting Unheard Voices at Bristol Cathedral: an evening of rarely performed music exclusively by female identifying composers from the 12th century onwards. Tickets are £15 or only £12 for under 25s. Bristol Steppin’ Sistas, a grassroots walking group of women of colour, is hosting a three to four mile walk through the magical pine wood surroundings of Goblin Coombe forest, just outside of Bristol. Reserve your spot now! For a thought-provoking stroll closer to home, join Bristol City Centre BID’s free IWD walking tour at Queen Square, from midday. Jane Du us, Bristol-based author of The Women Who Built Bristol books, will inspire you with stories of Bristol’s lesser known, pioneering women along the way. Looking for a historical day trip to end your afternoon walk? For the week of IWD, the National Trust will be sharing the stories of the women who have lived and worked at Victorian Gothic Revival house Tyntes eld. Aiming to bring together women from across Bristol’s di erent communities, an event at Bristol City Hall on 11th March will see over 100 contributors and partners running workshops, performances, exhibitions, activities. The topics will cover everything from art to well-being to debate. To make the event as inclusive as possible, there will be a creche, interpreting services and free travel available. A night of comedy and laughter at the Smoke and Mirrors Comedy & Magic Theatre Pub will raise money for One25, a Bristol based charity supporting women who have been victims of trauma and abuse. The event will start at 8pm. which sta are employed on precarious short-term contracts with little job security. Over a third of University sta at Bristol are estimated to be members of a union, and therefore many will be joining the strikes.

Contrary to what newspaper headlines might imply, this means that more lecturers will be working than striking. While there is widespread sympathy and support for those striking—a recent YouGov poll suggests that more than 50 per cent of the public support teachers in their ght for better pay and working conditions —many lecturers are choosing to remain in work. Epigramspoke to academics at the University regarding their motives for not striking. There are multiple reasons sta may not take part in strike action. Some remain satis ed with their

One English lecturer had a di erent reason for not joining the strikes. Having previously been a member of a union for many years, he left last year, as he was becoming frustrated with how the union was being run.

He felt that the method of picking four central struggles means that union leaders can be bought o , a process which makes it easier for employers to quash industrial disputes by meeting one speci c demand rather than negotiating on all requests.

From his perspective, the strikes are ine ective because they don’t give sta enough leverage.

He suggested launching marking strikes during the summer, which

There is one feeling shared by everyone who spoke to Epigram and that is a sense of disappointment. Students are disappointed with more interruptions to their education and less teaching time for the same high fees, while striking sta are disappointed with their casual working contracts, lack of real terms pay increases and the apparent de-valuation of their once highly respected role.Unions and University representatives are working to minimise the impact of industrial action, and are hoping to reach a deal that works for everyone. If not, then the potential marking and assessment boycott could jeopardise nal year students’ hopes of starting a job after graduation, if their employer requires them to have obtained a particular degree classi cation, and sta will continue to face unfair and unstable working conditions.